East Of Eden Soul Express Tonite

Have a good one guys - check out John Ciba's and James Porter's MySpace

This is what the guys say about what they are up to:

East of Edens Soul Express DJs merged out of a common interest in the connection of Southern soul and the Black music scene in Chicago during the 60s and 70s. James grew up in Chicago's Chatham neighborhood buying records like Bill Coday's "I'm Back to Collect" when they were being played on the radio for the first time and picking up that curious looking Swamp Dogg LP in the cut-out bin. Having a deep love for punk, rockabilly, and country as well as the blues and soul he grew up on, Porter identified with the mishmash of styles that stemmed from Memphis, Muscle Shoals, and Nashville. John grew up in the suburbs of Chicago and was raised on the Allman Brothers, Little Feat, and the Band. After being enlightened by mixing a broken heart with Al Green's 'Gets Next to You' and Isaac Hayes' 'Hot Buttered Soul', he was on a search to connect his musical past with these spine-tingling soulful finds. Ciba stumbled upon copies of Peter Guralnick's 'Sweet Soul Music' and Barney Hoskyns 'Say it One Time for The Broken Hearted' and the worlds of Muscle Shoals, Jackson, and beyond were opened to him. Thousands of LPs and 45s later he hasn't quite found the tingle again but loves sharing the deepest and funkiest cuts with anybody that will listen. After brushing shoulders on a Southern Soul message board, seeing each other at shows and record stores, and having plenty of common friends, the guys decided to start playing some records together. East of Edens Soul Express have a monthly DJ night at the Hideout Inn, Chicago. The venue is a perfect fit, it's the closest to a Southern juke joint this side of, well, the Edens Expressway! The boys have opened for Bettye Lavette, Clarence Reid, and are happy to lay it down for parties and the occasional wedding. John and James will always pack a dancefloor by playing soul music from Curtis Mayfield to Inell Young with one rule: the grittier the better!